


Trauma

by Narcissisticpeacock



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Prompt Fic, nadine gets hurt, references to uncharted 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 00:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12070119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narcissisticpeacock/pseuds/Narcissisticpeacock
Summary: Chloe hates grenades.





	Trauma

**Author's Note:**

> Anon wrote: "I have a prompt! In the game its always chloe who 'almost dies', so how about a reverse where nadine is the one almost dying?"

"Frazer! Get down!"

Chloe looked towards the sound. Nadine had her back to a short stone wall and was motioning Chloe over.

A bullet whizzed past, just barely grazing Chloe's arm. She swore and rolled forward, through the grass, and moved into a low couch until she reached Nadine's spot.

"I really think you can use my first name at this point," she hissed. "After all this?"

"That's really what you're bringing up in the middle of a gun fight?" Nadine fired wildly over their shelter before hunkering back down. "We need to get around them."

"What are our options?"

She nodded her head towards the edge next to her. "There's a ledge just below there. We can flank them."

"That's it?"

"No. If we get out of site, we can hunker down in the grass and draw them out. That'll take longer."

"Probably less chance of getting shot in the second way."

"Ja."

They both took a deep breath in unison before diving into the grass Chloe had just left. It wasn't long before the men spoke up in confusion.

"I saw them go over there!"

"But do you see them now?"

"Ah, no."

Chloe snickered to herself. She swore they were all blind as bats. Of course, Nadine would probably tell her bats weren't actually blind.

"We could try this?" a man spoke. She couldn't see what he was holding.

"Grenade," Nadine whispered.

"Go ahead," came a second man's voice.

"Frazer! Move!"

Chloe watched it happen in slow motion. The grenade landed in the open space between them. Nadine shot a glance down at it and then back at Chloe. Her features settled into some mix of acceptance and determination. And she broke out in a sprint.

Towards the grenade.

She moved past it and slammed shoulder first into Chloe.

The grenade went off just as Chloe went flying-- She went over the edge and landed a few feet down on the ledge Nadine had mentioned. She pushed herself off the ground. "No, no, no..."

Chloe felt sick; panic and anxiety was quick to grab hold of her as she scrambled up the ledge. Nadine lay unmoving at the edge of the grass. "Nadine!" She shot over to her, kneeling in the grass. Bad memories threatened to overwhelm her, but she pushed them back. She had to focus. "I hate grenades," she mumbled, trying to find a pulse on Nadine. She nearly cried when she found one. "Oh, thank god." She rolled the woman onto her back.

Checking over her, Chloe found no obvious life threatening wounds. She had to have hit her head and fallen unconscious. Or something.

"Did you get them?" a man's voice asked.

"I don't know. I don't see any bodies."

Chloe swore again and peeked her head out of the grass. Four men left. No, wait, five. She'd have to take them out if she wanted to help Nadine.

"Well, go check it out," the first voice spoke. "The bodies are probably hidden in the grass."

The second man groaned, but Chloe could hear his heavy footsteps. She gave a lingering look to Nadine before sinking low and moving towards the edge of the grass. She waited a few feet in for the man to enter. Less than a minute later, there was another body in the grass.

"Did you find anything?" the first voice asked. No answer, of course. "Hey, where'd you go?"

Chloe made her way back to Nadine, more to stay close than anything else. Four more men to kill.

The owner of the first voice had wandered closer, but not close enough that Chloe could grab him. She needed something to help. Something like... a silenced pistol. That would help. She knew she had one too, but it was back in the four-by-four. They'd parked behind a rock, not too far away, but she'd have to sprint across open ground to get over there again.

Another glance out of the grass showed a man still near the edge of the grass, two on higher up platforms further back, and the fourth was... not there. "Shit," she murmured. "Where'd he go?"

Chloe reached down and took the grenade from her belt. She didn't enjoy grenades, even more so now, but she could certainly use one as a distraction.

Nadine was still out cold on the ground.

Bracing herself, Chloe chucked the grenade across the clearing, to just behind some distant cover. There was a short burst of frantic beeping, a man's yell, and a boom.

Well, that took care of the fourth guy. Three to go.

The others reacted swiftly to the grenade, moving in on the area it had landed. Most importantly, moving away from where she'd have to go to get to the car.

Chloe booked it across the opening and tucked herself behind the rock, next to the four-by-four. She slipped a hand under the front seat and tugged out the silenced pistol.

Now she just had to get back to Nadine.

Lucky for her, the men were still in the area she had exploded their friend in.

She sprinted back over and slid into the grass beside Nadine. "You know, china, it'd be amazing if you could wake up."

No response.

Chloe took a deep breath and readied her gun.

Ten minutes later, there were three more bodies on the ground, and Chloe was just thankful hers wasn't one. She was less thankful Nadine had yet to wake up.

Chloe ran back to the four-by-four and drove it closer. She was really doing her best not to panic at this point.

She checked for a pulse again. Steady, if a bit slow.

Chloe took a deep breath. She wanted to move Nadine somewhere safer, but that was beyond her. She wasn't strong enough to lift a woman like Nadine: all muscle. Sure, if Nadine was conscious, Chloe could make a great place to lean, but... Nadine wasn't conscious.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. It was going to rain.

Chloe swore and grabbed for one of the thicker blankets they'd brought along and spread it out on the ground beside Nadine. She hooked her arms under Nadine's and, with a good deal of work, managed to get her onto the blanket.

They'd brought a simple tent, but setting it up and moving Nadine in wasn't really an option. Instead, she grabbed the tarp they had. She had a plan, and hopefully it'd be enacted before it rained. Or maybe Nadine would wake up first.

It took almost an hour but Chloe got a sort of lean-to set up. She parked the four-by-four next to Nadine and hooked the tarp to it, stretching over her sleeping form and weighted the other side down with a branch. The rain started almost as soon as she finished. It was cramped, and she only had a little room to sit, but she was much more concerned about Nadine. If she didn't wake up soon, Chloe would have to do something.

She just didn't know what.

Chloe took a deep breath and leaned her back on the four-by-four. Panic was nesting in her gut. Nadine was too much to her for her to lose.

Now that she stopped moving, everything came crashing in. She pressed her palms against her eyes and tried to block out the thoughts that were very quickly making their way to the front of her mind. Blood seeping into her clothes, soft cries of pain as she tried to murmur comfort. The sound of destruction in the distance and the fear she might be caught trying to get her friend out of the city.

She hated grenades.

Distant sounds of gunfire, the yells of those creatures. The woman at her side getting colder, fear settling into her. The gnawing thought of never making it out, or worse, having to carry out a corpse.

Chloe held back a sob and took a deep breath, trying to center herself. This was different. Nadine was fine. She'd wake up and everything would be fine. They'd get their treasure and move onto the next.

A limp body on the stone, her friend sobbing. A knot in her stomach. More fear, more guilt.

She didn't want to be thinking about this. Why couldn't she stop?

The rain pounded down on the top of the tarp and filled the small shelter with noise. It might be relaxing if it weren't for Nadine not moving.

Except she was starting to stir.

Chloe leaned forward, eyes searching her face. Pretty brown eyes blinked open before squeezing shut. Nadine lifted a hand to her head.

"Oh thank god."

Nadine looked up at Chloe, slow to actually realize what she was seeing. "Are you okay?"

Chloe laughed, sudden and unexpected. But she felt like crying. "Leave it to you to get knocked unconscious and ask me if I'm okay."

"How long have I been out?" The woman tried to push herself up, but Chloe put a hand to her shoulder.

"Easy there, china. Don't, don't push yourself. It's been a couple hours."

"Shit. Really?"

Chloe shifted, sitting cross legged on the corner of the blanket. "Maybe next time, don't go out of your way to be in the blast of a grenade?" Her expression had turned stony and distant.

Nadine noticed and frowned. "I didn't want you hurt," she admitted.

"I've survived worse."

"You're angry at me for keeping you alive?"

"I'd have been fine."

With a pained groan, Nadine pushed up to sit. She rubbed a hand down her face, trying to focus. Chloe wouldn't look at her. "What's wrong? I just wanted you alright." She didn't understand why Chloe was being so stubborn about this. They'd traded favours like that since the beginning of their partnership. Sure, it was typically Chloe getting hurt, but Nadine was tired of seeing Chloe unconscious or bleeding or both. So knocking her out of the way of that grenade had been second nature.

Chloe's jaw was set; her hands were balled into fists. She didn't answer.

Cringing a bit, Nadine shifted to sit beside her. "I can't make it better if I don't know what's wrong." She reached out a hand and touched her arm. "You're... shaking."

Chloe still felt like crying. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Nadine moved closer so her side was pressed close to Chloe's. She then slipped an arm around her waist. "Does this make you uncomfortable?"

Chloe shook her head and turned to press her cheek to Nadine's shoulder, nose just brushing her neck. It was all she could do was strive to take slow, steady breaths.

Her head was still swimming but worry for Chloe was taking precedence. "Let me be here for you," Nadine requested.

All of Chloe's hard work to hold it in was wasted with that sentence. She sobbed against Nadine's shoulder, fingers grasping at the bottom of Nadine's shirt.

Nadine held her, not fully understanding why, but willing to be there.

It was only a few minutes later that Chloe quieted. Minutes of silence between them, nothing but breathing, stretched out.

Chloe sighed against Nadine's neck.

"A friend of mine," Chloe began, voice soft. "She-- well, we were only acquainted at the time, but she's a good friend now..." She shook her head. "I watched her try to help someone and then watched that someone drop a grenade between them." She rubbed a palm across her eyes. "The man we were with asked me to get her out of the city while he went to finish off the man who'd been after us. I..." She sneered and made a frustrated noise. "I still have nightmares about it."

Nadine caressed the side of her face, frowning. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I...?"

A shrug. "It's my fault," she responded. "I shouldn't have... reacted so strongly. I'd like to think I'm stronger than that."

Nadine's frown deepened. "Don't blame yourself. Trauma is trauma. I'd rather you trust me here with you than hold it in and hurt."

"What's the phrase? You burden your friends, soon you won't have any?"

"You're not burdening me." She tightened her arm around Chloe.

Chloe chuckled, eyes still red. "Yeah, well..." She trailed off. "I was scared," she admitted. "I thought you were dead." She strove to save it with, "How am I supposed to carry the treasure out without your help? We both know you're the muscle of the operation."

The mercenary chuckled. "Ja. We do."

Chloe hummed. She felt emotionally drained. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "We can keep moving when you're ready."

"I'm dizzy. And a bit cold. We should find a place for the tent, so we can both rest up." Nadine bit her lip. She liked where she was beside Chloe and wouldn't mind staying there. "Five more minutes?"

Chloe nuzzled closer. Some rest sounded nice. "Works for me."

**Author's Note:**

> I cried a lot at Elena getting hurt in 2?? And I'm pretty sure Chloe was messed up by it too.
> 
> Recently, a friend and I set up a Lost Legacy discord server! Message me if you'd like to join!  
> I'm also Narcissisticpeacock on tumblr.


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